Two faced Bryant

Chris Bryant MP's reaction to Roger Lewis' vicious attack on the Welsh:

"I can't believe Jonathan Edwards has risen to the bait," says Chris Bryant, Labour MP for Rhondda in South Wales. "Roger Lewis's piece is fatuous nonsense, but the last thing people want is a moaning version of Welsh nationalism. Wales is at its best when it is triumphantly insouciant about the criticism of others, and if we can't take a bit of scabrous attack without running to the police, it's a sad day for Wales."

Chris Bryant MP's reaction to Alun Cairns silly comment about the Italian football team:

Rhondda Labour MP Chris Bryant said: “David Cameron has had over two months to decide whether or not Alun Cairns should be sacked as the Tory candidate in the Vale of Glamorgan. “It’s very much decision time for David Cameron on this issue.
“Failing to sack Alun Cairns shows how indecisive Cameron really is when it comes to taking tough decisions.”

Sack somebody for making an ill informed joke about the Italians, but laugh off a scurrilous attack on the Welsh!

Typical Welsh Labour MP!

Abusing the race card is true racism

Unlike the vast majority of those who have commented on Alun Cairn's Wops comment, I actually heard the original programme on which the unfortunate comment was made. I thought nothing of it at the time and I had to listen to the programme again to see what the fuss was all about.

It was a silly comment, made in a silly context, it can't be excused. But the fact is it wasn't a big deal either (and Alun apologised on the spot when Vaughan picked him up on the inappropriate nature of the comment).

But there is a wider issue about racism here.

Proper racism is an abject evil.

A few years ago my wife, my sister and I were lost in London. We stopped by the first person we saw - a black woman - to ask the way. Her reaction to a car full of whites pulling up by her side was one of terror, she actually wet herself in front of us. There was nothing that we could do or say to reassure her that our intentions were honourable that we only wanted to ask directions.

The "best" that we could do was drive away and leave her in her distressed state. It was a sickening experience, but one that made me realise what racism, actual racial fear, is.

Most of the people who are playing the racist card against Alun couldn't give a shit about the reality of racism. They see it as a cheep shot against a Tory.

Using racism as a cheep shot, is probably the most racist action of all, because it reduces the real fear of the woman that I met in London, to nothing but political oneupmanship.

Everybody who know or knows of Alun Cairns knows that he is not a racist, and know his comment was not meant in an offensive way.

To use his comment to play the racist card demeans the campaign against truly offensive racism.

Playing the racist card, for cheep political pot shots, debases the true experience of racial oppression, and is something that all who oppose racial oppression should abhor.

Be careful what you wish for...

There were plenty of complaints by AM's last Wednesday after a BBC Trust report criticised how the corporation covered news in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A lack of reporting on BBC "national" news about what was going on in the Assembly and failing to report what its members are saying was the main complaint down in the Bay.

Since the report was published there has been some improvement. I bet that at least one AM is cursing this change of policy though, as News 24 has reported Alun Cairns' unfortunate greasy wops remarks in each of its hourly bulletins today.